October 05, 2013

Legal Theory Bookworm

One of the biggest problems with modern democracy is that most of the public is usually ignorant of politics and government. Often, many people understand that their votes are unlikely to change the outcome of an election and don't see the point in learning much about politics. This may be rational, but it creates a nation of people with little political knowledge and little ability to objectively evaluate what they do know.

In Democracy and Political Ignorance, Ilya Somin mines the depths of ignorance in America and reveals the extent to which it is a major problem for democracy. Somin weighs various options for solving this problem, arguing that political ignorance is best mitigated and its effects lessened by decentralizing and limiting government. Somin provocatively argues that people make better decisions when they choose what to purchase in the market or which state or local government to live under, than when they vote at the ballot box, because they have stronger incentives to acquire relevant information and to use it wisely.

And from the reviews:

"Ilya Somin has an excellent new book on the problem of political ignorance in democracy... Highly recommended." - Jason Brennan, Georgetown University, author of The Ethics of Voting

"Voter ignorance can be rational: The likelihood of one vote mattering is infinitesimal, so why make the effort to stay informed? But as Ilya Somin demonstrates in this mind-opening book, voter ignorance has bad consequences that strengthen the case for limited government, including judicial review to put a leash on wayward majorities."—George F. Will, Journalist and Pulitzer Prize Winner

"Is political ignorance as bad as it seems? Ilya Somin powerfully argues that we seriously underestimate the severity of the problem. Political knowledge is woefully deficient, and democracy works poorly given the quality of the voting public. Democracy and Political Ignorance is the most cogent, thoughtful, and up-to-date book on political ignorance on the market."—Bryan Caplan, George Mason University, author of The Myth of the Rational Voter

"Political scientists have long worried about voter ignorance, but the law has been slow to catch up. Ilya Somin is part of an important group of legal thinkers grappling with this issue and its legal implications. With exceptional clarity, Somin offers a variety of solutions to the problem of voter ignorance, including a spirited and systematic defense of the value of voting with one's feet."—Heather Gerken, Yale Law School

"Can we reasonably believe that American citizens are actually interested enough in politics to learn what they need in order to cast knowledgeable votes? Somin illuminates both the extent of political ignorance and why maintaining such ignorance is rational for voters who recognize the near-futility of their efforts at political engagement. Even the most skeptical readers of his suggested solutions will benefit from wrestling with Somin's vigorously argued analysis."—Sanford Levinson, The University of Texas Law School